Can India Benefit from the
Agricultural Biotechnology?
C. S. Prakash*
mong India's greatest achievements since its
A independence is it's increased food production. While
Indians averted an imminent famine in the 1960's through
food imports, they are now in an enviable situation as a
food exporter. India has increased food grain production
more than three-fold in the last three decades primarily by
the application of genetics in improving crop varieties,
along with expanded irrigation, better management practices
and institutional factors such as farm policies, credit
availability and market forces.
But India with its current population of one billion still
faces daunting challenges of hunger, poverty and malnutrition that will only get worse as its population further
increases. The World Bank predicts that by 2020 India
will be the fourth-largest economy in the world behind
China, US and Japan. But India cannot propel itself
into a global economic power and also ensure equitable
prosperity of its people without first transforming its
agriculture into a more productive enterprise. Almost twothirds of Indians depend on the land for their livelihood,
through food production, distribution, marketing or
processing.
of harvested fruits and vegetables are spoilt during
transportation and storage. Biotechnology, if deployed in a
strategic and responsible manner, will help address some
of these problems.
Biotechnology can be a boon to Indian agriculture in
many ways. Crop damage can be minimised through
disease and pest resistant varieties while reducing the use
of chemicals. The Indian pepper crop is now ravaged by
the dieback disease, while the banana is being ambushed
by the bunchy top disease, sorghum eroded by downy
mildew, and the coconut is crippled by the Tanjore wilt
problem. Conventional plant breeding has little ammunition
to deal with these problems in an expedient and effective
manner. India also has serious problems of blast in rice,
rust in wheat, leaf rust in coffee, viruses in tomato and
chillies and leaf spot in groundnut across the country.
These problems can be significantly minimised in an
Transforming India's agriculture is critical not only to
deal with the issue of hunger and poverty but also to
strengthen the sector that is so fundamental to India's
existence. The ‘green revolution’ is showing signs of fatigue
and farm productivity increases are now flattening. There
are serious constraints to productivity in Indian agriculture
because of small holdings, the subsistence nature of
farming, vagaries of the weather, limited water, poor land
conditions and stress factors such as drought, heat and
saline soil conditions. Much of the crop yield is lost due
to disease, pests, and weeds while a considerable proportion
*Dr. C. S. Prakash is Professor and Director of the Centre for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University, Alabama, USA.
He is the founder of the ‘Society for Biotechnology’ in Bangalore, India, and is among the founding members of an Internet-based
network called PBASIO, the ‘Plant Biotechnologists and Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin’ which has more than 800 members
and promotes discussion on agbiotech related issues concerning India. He can be reached at [email protected].
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ASIA-PACIFIC
BI TECH
NEWS
ecologically-friendly manner with the development of
genetically reprogrammed seeds designed to resist these
disease attacks, while minimising or even eliminating costly
and hazardous pesticide sprays.
Genetic modification can also address the problems of
shoot borers in eggplant and okra, caterpillars in pappadi
(Dolichos) beans, and of course, the boll worm in cotton
which resulted in the tragic suicides of hundreds of cotton
farmers. India is the third largest producer of cotton in the
world (after China and the USA) accounting for a large
share of global production. Although cotton occupies only
5% of the country's land, nearly 50% of all pesticide used
in India is bought by cotton farmers alone at a staggering
cost of US$400 million annually and with incalculable
impact on the environment and human health. Development
of cotton varieties with resistance to pests thus can enhance
the welfare of Indian farmers, while helping both the Indian
economy and its environment.
New genome technologies along with bioinformatics
will further propel Indian agriculture into a new era where
complex traits such as photosynthetic efficiency and crop
yield can be enhanced. Genomic tools with esoteric names
such as ‘DNA Chips’, ‘Gene Shuffling’ and ‘Directed
Evolution’ are already making an impact on biomedical
research enabling the discovery of new drugs and rapid
disease diagnostics, and will surely impact agricultural
research.
With no more arable land available for agricultural
expansion in India, enhancing stress tolerance in crop plants
will permit productive farming on currently unproductive
lands. Abiotic factors such as drought, heat, cold, soil
salinity and acidity cripple Indian crops seriously
constraining their growth and yield. One could extend the
growing season of crops and minimise losses due to
environmental factors. The shelf life of fruits and vegetables
can be prolonged to reduce losses due to food spoilage,
expand the market vista and improve food quality.
Prolonged ‘vase life’ of cut-flowers will help broaden
the market for horticulturists, while reducing losses and
minimising their dependency on expensive cold storage.
Human and livestock health can be improved through crops
with enhanced nutritional quality traits such as iron-rich
rice and vitamin A-rich rapeseed oil, and through the
production of edible vaccines and other pharmaceutical
proteins. Crops with industrial applications such as those
producing enzymes, ‘designer’ starch and oils, biodegradable plastics and industrial chemicals can also be
developed to reinvigorate the Indian economy and create
jobs. Crop plants that can clean up soil, water and air
through ‘phytoremediation’ can be developed and planted
in critical areas. Trees that grow faster with fewer disease
and pest problems can be developed with positive impact
both on the rural economy and the environment.
There has been much human misery caused by
hazardous substances in many Indian food crops — such
as the presence of neurotoxin in kesar dal, cyanide in
cassava or tapioca, aflatoxins in groundnut and
antimetabolites in chickpea, horsegram and sweet potato.
Biotechnology has the capability to ‘silence’ these
undesirable traits and thus improve the quality of these
‘humble’ food crops so critical to the nutrition of
disadvantaged and resource-poor consumers.
Biotechnology has made modest advances in agricultural
research in India. Several institutions such as the Indian
Agricultural Research Institute, Bose Institute, National
Chemical Laboratory, and Indian Institute of Science along
with many other traditional and agricultural universities
have established modern biotechnology research programs,
primarily with funding from the Government of India's
Department of Biotechnology. However, the impact of these
research programs, either in advancing fundamental
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knowledge or in the development of improved products for
the marketplace has been minimal albeit with few
exceptions.
It is critical that public sector research in biotechnology
be strengthened in India and to ensure that such technology
transferred to the farm in an expedient manner.
Several Indian companies have also recently established
R&D centres to develop genetically improved crops mostly
in collaboration with foreign companies, including Mahyco
Seeds, SPIC, ITC, Pioneer India, Indo-American Hybrid
Seeds and ProAgro Seed. Monsanto, the American company
known for its technological strengths in this field, has set
up a multi-million dollar research facility on the campus of
the Indian Institute of Science to develop genetically
improved crops for India, and has also established a
partnership with Mahyco seeds to develop improved cotton
varieties for the Indian farmer.
The strategic integration of biotechnology tools
into Indian agricultural systems can revolutionise
Indian farming and usher in a new era in the countryside.
Compared to the “green revolution”, the “gene revolution”
is relatively scale neutral, benefiting big and small farmers
alike. It is also environment friendly. Thus, it can be of
great help to the smallest farmer with limited resources, in
increasing farm productivity through the availability of
improved but powerful seed. It can also reduce his
dependency on chemical inputs such as pesticides and
fertiliser. India unequivocally needs the help of such
technologies to march into the next century with a vision
for economic upliftment and prosperity for its two-thirds
of populace dependent on farming.
While most scientists and policy-makers recognise that
biotechnology is not a panacea for all food production
problems in India, it is the single most powerful tool India
has right now to address this problem. There are risks
inherent in any technological intervention. Human beings
down the centuries have learnt to weigh the perceived and
real risks against the benefits of emerging technologies,
and have responsibly integrated these to foster progress.
What we need is a sensible and responsible approach to
integrating biotechnology in Indian agricultural research
while ensuring that any risk posed by this technology is
kept to a minimum through rigorous scientific approach.
crops by developing a strong, reliable and trustworthy
regulatory mechanism. The existing biosafety framework
now requires that all genetically modified organisms must
undergo a rigorous review and safety assessment prior to
their import, field testing or release. The government should
also enhance its legal system by instituting penalties for
those who do not follow the regulations, strengthen and
enforce its anti-trust laws to prevent monopolies and
impose product-liability laws to force corporate
responsibility.
Scientists and companies involved in genetically
improved crop development, on their part, have an
obligation to be more open about their affairs and make
concerted efforts to communicate with farmers and the
public about the nature of their products and any inherent
risks they pose.
A revitalised Indian agriculture can be the engine of
growth for the 21st century, and biotechnology can provide
the needed fuel. When deployed in a sensible and
responsible manner, modern biotechnological tools can
advance India's agriculture to address ‘head-on’ the
challenge of feeding its increasing population in a
sustainable manner despite its limited economic, land and
water resources. India cannot afford to lag behind in
critically examining these new technologies and making
them available to its farmers under suitable safeguards.
“
The strategic integration of
biotechnology tools
into Indian agricultural systems
can revolutionise Indian farming and
usher in a new era in the countryside.
Compared to the “green revolution”, the
“gene revolution” is relatively scale
neutral, benefiting big and small farmers
alike. It is also environment friendly.
”
The Government of India's Department of Biotechnology and other scientific agencies have done admirable
work to deal with safety issues of genetically improved
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